Chester Zoohas welcomed nine new baby penguin residents, and has shared adorable footage and pictures from their first few days.
Penguin Island at the UK’s biggest charity zoo is now said to be “buzzing with activity” after the arrival of nine endangered Humboldt penguin chicks who go by the names of Plum, Peach, Papaya, Cherry, Rhubarb, Banana, Lemon, Satsuma, and Iona-Berry.
Keepers have named the zoo’s newest residents after some of their favourite fruits.
Iona-Berry was also named after a vet who last year saved the eyesight of the baby penguins’ father, Munch.
Weighing in at just 80g when they first hatch, the nine penguin chicks will triple in size in their first three weeks of life and quickly reach around 3kg – just like their parents.
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Found on the rocky coastal shores of Peru and Chile, Humboldt penguins are one of the world’s most endangered penguin species, and are listed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as they face a number of threats including climate change, over-fishing, and rising acidity and temperature levels in the oceans.
That’s why births like this are said to be so important for Chester Zoo’s ongoing mission to prevent extinction.
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“There’s nothing quite like hearing tiny chirps coming from the penguin nests and seeing little balls of fluff snuggled up with their parents just moments after hatching,” said Sophie Bissaker – Parrots and Penguins Keeper at Chester Zoo.
“Zookeepers have a trend of naming the penguins using a different theme each year.
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Chester Zoo has welcomed nine new baby penguin residents / Credit: Chester Zoo
“Previously we’ve had brands of crisps, chocolate bars and in 2020, our NHS Heroes, but after some serious thought, we’ve decided to name this year’s class after different types of fruit.”
Zoe explained that the nine new arrivals have just started to venture out of the nest, which is “such an exciting time” for staff at the zoo at visitors alike.
“Now they’re starting swimming lessons in the main pool, where they’ll learn how to catch food for themselves,” she continued.
Penguin Island at the zoo is now “buzzing with activity” / Credit: Chester Zoo
“For the first three months of life, mum and dad keep their new chicks tucked away while they feed and nurture them [but] to help them gain weight while they’re so young, we provide the parents with extra fish, which they swallow, churn into a high-protein soup and regurgitate at feeding times.
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“In a few weeks they’ll shed their fluffy grey feathers to reveal their iconic black and white feathers underneath.
“[The feathers] are waterproof and help them zoom through the water.”
Featured Image – Chester Zoo
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Salford Red Devils granted another adjournment over unpaid debts
Danny Jones
Salford Red Devils have been given one more adjournment and yet another stay of execution, being given another two weeks to find the money to cover their unpaid debts.
The local rugby league side, which has been wrapped in all manner of struggles both on and off-pitch over the past year or so, reportedly needs to pay around £700,000 to HMRC alone and still owes roughly £5 million in total to various creditors.
To no surprise, regular matchgoers, neutrals and even rivals alike have expressed their continued disappointment with the club, mainly at the lack of transparency and clarity from the organisation throughout this long, drawn-out process.
This is coming from a wire fan but no club deserves to be left in the dark even longer than they already have done it’s nothing but a disgrace to the sport of rugby those owners and the court should be ashamed of themselves.
Updating fans on social media, this is all the information they have communicated at this time: “Salford Red Devils can confirm that HMRC have granted the club a two-week adjournment, providing additional time in which to secure the necessary funds.
“We would like to reassure supporters that we are working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure a positive resolution. Further updates will be shared as soon as possible.”
It’s worth noting that the current owners have reiterated that they inheited around £3m in existing debt before they took over the club, but assurances over their own investments have still come to nothing; meanwhile, with many still waiting on wages, players and staff alike have now left.
Having been propped up by loan players and emergency loans, the team is now closer to a skeleton crew than it is an outfit capable of competing in the premier division.
Either way, the outrage remains and is only growing stronger. One user wrote on X: “A good approach by them if they was legit would be to engage and bring in The 1873 to bridge the communication black hole (they created).
“The problem with that is if they did it would expose them for what they are… Extortionists using the club as a vehicle.”
More alarm bells were raised recently when assistant coach and Krisnan Inu – who was also director of the company set up to take over the business – withdrew himself from a key position behind the scenes.
Speaking of The 1873, the outspoken supporters trust took no time at all in issuing a response of their own, adding: “The judge presiding over today’s case has adjourned by 14 days. This adjournment has dragged the uncertainty on even longer.
“Every delay makes planning for 2026 harder and keeps the club stuck in limbo when it desperately needs clarity and direction.
“The fans, the players and the future all deserve better — The 1873.”
You can see the rest of their statement in full down below, but for now, what do you make of this seemingly neverending saga, Salfordians?
‘Christmas chaos’ on the cards as Manchester tram drivers vote on staging strike action next month
Emily Sergeant
There could be major disruption to festive travel in Greater Manchester next month, as hundreds of tram drivers are currently voting on whether to strike.
Almost 320 tram drivers are being balloted over working conditions and fears around fatigue.
The drivers – who are members of the union, Unite – all work for KeolisAmey Metrolink Limited at the Warwick Road South and Queens Road depots in Manchester – and they operate trams on all routes in Greater Manchester.
As it stands, the drivers’ shift patterns currently mean they have to work 450 hours over a 12-week period, which results in some having to work 50 hours on, followed by just two days off, then back into another 50-hour work pattern.
Drivers also have fewer rest days compared to all other operational departments, and this is said to be causing safety concerns around fatigue.
‘Christmas chaos’ is on the cards as Manchester tram drivers are currently voting on staging strike action next month / Credit: TfGM
Drivers say they concerned about operating heavy vehicles while exhausted and unable to have proper breaks, but after raising the issue with management, Unite has been told there is ‘no funding available’ to support any ‘meaningful’ improvements to working patterns.
Instead, management has asked drivers to start work earlier – which Unite says is only ‘adding insult to injury’.
The ballot is set to close on 11 November, and if drivers vote in favour of industrial action, strikes could then begin in late November, causing widespread cancellations and delays throughout the region during the busy festive shopping period – particularly coinciding with Manchester’s world-famous Christmas Markets, known for attracting millions of visitors to the city each year.
“Any strike action will cause a great deal of disruption but it is entirely the fault of Metrolink, which is not taking the issue of driver fatigue seriously,” commented Unite Regional Officer, Colin Hayden.
Emily Sergeant -
11th July 2022 
